How close are we to the achieving the bioengineering of the Six-Million Dollar Man?

Advances in our understanding of brain function, along with the development of neural interfaces that allow for the monitoring and activation of neurons, have paved the way for brain machine interfaces (BMI), which harness neural signals to reanimate the limbs via electrical activation of the muscles, or to control extra-corporeal devices, thereby bypassing the muscles and senses altogether. BMIs consist of reading out motor intent from the neuronal responses monitored in motor regions of the brain and executing intended movements using bionic limbs, reanimated limbs, or exoskeletons. BMIs also allow for the restoration of the sense of touch by electrically activating neurons in somatosensory regions of the brain, thereby evoking vivid tactile sensations and conveying feedback about object interactions. In this podcast associate editor Jeff Diamond is joined by authors Chethan Pandarinath and Sliman Bensmaia as they discuss " The Science and Engineering behind sensitized brain-controlled bionic hands."

The review of this fascinating topic can be found on our PRV website: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/physrev.00034.2020